


just a boy

by Yosu



Category: Rockman ZX | Mega Man ZX
Genre: AU: good pandora (?? idk what to call this), Big Sister Instinct, Drabble Collection, Drabble and a Half, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, i love pandora and u should too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-14 09:20:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 1,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28793064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yosu/pseuds/Yosu
Summary: He’s just a boy,she thinks, deep and hard about the situation.He doesn’t even have a name yet....He looks like a Grey.--an au in which pandora doesn't try to kill grey in the abandoned lab
Relationships: Grey (Rockman ZX) & Pandora (Rockman ZX)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 11





	1. just a girl

Pandora has gotten unusually  _ used  _ to being so  _ cold  _ inside.

_ (It’s not healthy, _ she reminds herself.

_ No matter how many times Albert tells me, this’ll never be healthy.) _

She doesn’t even react properly when she’s told to kill what is essentially her baby brother. She should logically respond in abject horror -- despite killing before. But in those contexts, it was random people she had no connections to. But this reploid,  _ the failed prototype  _ in Albert’s words, has a different connection to her.

Would she react the same if Albert told her to kill Prometheus?

She’s scared because she’d probably would. At this point, she’s been so  _ manipulated  _ by Albert that she can’t tell him  _ no. _

And so, when she’s confronting him -- the reploid, the  _ failed prototype,  _ the target -- she doesn’t know how to deal with this. 

_ (Just take him out already,  _ the crueler and vindictive side of her thinks, as she just watches him as the reploid tries to figure out his surroundings in the abandoned lab. His actions remind her of a small child. 

_ You’re doing him a favor by doing it.  _

_ He’s just a boy,  _ she thinks, deep and hard about the situation.  _ He doesn’t even have a name yet. _

…

_ He looks like a Grey.) _

She removes herself from her hiding place. She is no longer going to be Master Albert’s  _ weapon. _

(So how she’ll save Prometheus, too, but now, her directive is to save Grey.

She just hopes Prometheus doesn’t hurt that Ashe girl.)

“Good morning,” She greets, retracting her staff into the metaverse of her Model. “You’re finally awake.”

The reploid --  _ Grey,  _ she corrects -- stumbles back, reminding Pandora of a deer. “I-- eh-- who  _ are  _ you?” He stammers. “Who-- who am  _ I?” _

She stiffens. “I… am Pandora.” She answers first. “And you are Grey.” Pandora answers second. Her body fills with absolute anger at Albert, finding it absolutely disgusting that he didn’t even  _ name  _ the prototype (Grey).

“And I’m here to help you.”

_ (I’m here to fix the problems I’ve caused,  _ is something she doesn’t tell Grey, mainly because she doesn’t want to scare him.

At least, she doesn’t want to tell him that  _ yet.) _


	2. a curse

(Pandora is glad that she charged her body just before she went out -- with the severity of the mission, Albert gave her extended life span. A mere five weeks. A little over a month. It’s not fair.)

Pandora managed to bring Gray to the nearest place of civilization, a Hunter’s Guild camp. She plays off her arrival and simply seeks asylum, for Gray mainly. 

(She fails to mention that two of their members are dead, and Pandora is the main cause for why.

...It’s not like they need to know. Thank god they don’t recognize her.)

It’s been a couple hours since their arrival, and now, they’re staying in one of the many rest spots in the camp

Pandora is anxious. She is anxious because she doesn’t want Albert to know what she’s done. Although, it’s not like she’s guilty.

“Um, Pandora, I’ve been wondering…” Gray mumbles, aloud, clearly uncomfortable. “...Why’re you still wearing your armor?”

Pandora stiffens at that.  _ Because I’ve been experimented on so that I’m always megamerged.  _ Is the most cohesive answer, but she doesn’t want to break the unfortunate news to Gray about that.

“...I’ve been cursed.” She mumbles. 

“Oh.”

After that, they sit in silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm thinking of making this a drabble collection??? Idk. 
> 
> Enjoy some awkward Pandora content!


	3. biometal

Everything in Pandora’s body feels like it’s overflowing with a semi- parental fear and urgency when she realizes that Grey megamerged with the biometal.

This mission was supposed to be as simple as it sounded: protect the treasure on the train.

It wasn’t supposed to end up like this.

_ (I’m terrified because I don’t want him to become like me.  _ She thinks, frozen in fear, her hands unusually clammy as she gripped her staff.  _ I don’t want him to become a monster.) _

“I…” Pandora stammers.

(She feels petrified.

Why is she so afraid?)

…

(In the end, everything was alright.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think the general "word limit" for each chapter for this fic will be under 500 words. Maybe I'll extend the word limit to 1,000 when Pandora encounters Prometheus, for the ✨ _drama_ ✨  
> anyways, i hope everyone is enjoying the fic. this is the first time ive tried to "limit" the word amount in a fic, lol


	4. legion

At first, Pandora was afraid of Grey fighting. Because in all honesty, Grey is a sweet boy -- someone who shouldn’t be in the line of fire. So unlike Prometheus and Pandora. He’s unlike any creation by Albert.

_ (It’s because he’s a good person,  _ Pandora depressingly thinks.  _ He’s not tainted. _

_ He could never be so damaged like you.) _

...But the more Grey wins against mechnaloids, the more confident she becomes in him. More confident that he’ll end this cycle of violence caused by Albert.

Now, they’re in Legion. The last place Pandora wants to be.

_ (Too many bad memories.  _ She thinks, hovering above Grey on her staff.)

“Do you want to meet the Sage Trinity with me, or…” Gray trails off. Pandora hates how clear her body language has gotten. It’s been a couple days since she’s recharged, a little over a week. She’s gotten visibly  _ anxious. _

Seeing  _ him,  _ that horrible  _ bastard,  _ will just make her feel worse. Being in the presence of the four Megaman was hard enough, trying to hold her tongue, but being in front of Master Albert and his horrible friends would be a living nightmare.

“...I’m good…” She mumbles out, trying to regain her composure. She hates lying to Grey, but she has to, just this once. “I’ll just wait for you to be finished.” Grey nods at that, still megamerged with biometal A, and runs off.

(She hopes he will be ok.)

…

...

(And in the end, despite her paranoid anxiety about him being taken and corrupted by Albert, he is.

...That was the most terrified she’s been in her entire life.)

She has four weeks left. She only has a month left before she self-destructs. A month before Albert changes everything. Her time is running very thin.

(She just hopes she can save Prometheus.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pandora needs a hug ngl ngl


	5. albert

“I can’t believe Albert _betrayed_ everyone like that!” Gray exclaims, exasperated at what happened at Legion.

(Of course, Pandora already _knew_ this. 

Knew his true behavior. 

How he wanted the world to function.)

“It’s horrible.” Is the only thing she says in response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter, everyone. I'm currently _really_ busy with school, and wrote this in a rush. I hope you all enjoy it regardless!


	6. hard revenge

The highway becomes awkward once Grey absorbs Thetis’ megamerge data. His face is frowning -- which isn’t a rare sight, of course, but it’s just…

... _ sad,  _ looking, Pandora thinks.

(It’s not like Grey smiles often in the first place, but usually, his expression is a poker face, never outright  _ sad  _ or  _ upset.) _

And terrifyingly, he’s frozen in fear. 

(She’s getting accustomed to noting how wrong feeling seeing despair and fear is. Is she slowly regaining her humanity?)

“...”

“Hey, can you hear me? What happened?” She asks, shaking him. She’s worried.

(Time is running out, she thinks. Two weeks left, at this point.)

Grey perks his head, breaking free from his frozen daze. “Huh? It's nothing…”

There’s a temptation to prod further, to understand what made him so  _ terrified,  _ but she doesn’t.

“I’m sorry about what happened.” He mumbles out, taking Pandora off guard. 

“Excuse me?”

Grey blushes -- awkwardly. “It’s nothing! Don’t worry about it.

...Weird.

* * *

The last person Pandora wants to see is  _ Aile.  _ Bad blood after what happened four years ago -- Giro…

_ “You!”  _ Aile snaps, looking much older than when Pandora saw her last. She had clearly gone through a growth spurt. “You just can’t leave me alone, can you!?”

Grey, confused, shook his head. “Who are you!?” He exclaimed.

“And what's this  _ kid _ doing here?” Aile continues, before her chosen biometal flew next to her -- Biometal Z and X.

The blue one spoke first -- his voice was cold and archaic sounding.  _ “Careful, Aile! I sense a Biometal on him.”  _ The other one, the red once, spoke second -- his voice just as icy.  _ “I've never sensed anything like this before. What  _ **_is_ ** _ he?” _

_ “Two Biometals!? Is she a Mega Man!?” _ Model A squeaked, perking it’s ‘head’ from behind Grey's shoulder. 

Pandora is silent. How does she even smooth this over? Would an apology even  _ work  _ now?

“Step away from that Model W!” Grey cried, grabbing Model A from behind him, holding it tightly.

“What do  _ you  _ want with this Model W?” Aile growls, clearly directing that at Pandora, not at Grey. It’s…

... _ Petrifying.  _ Pandora is petrified with what Aile’s become. She’s horrified at it.

Pandora swallows, gripping her staff, staring at Aile. She no longer sees the scared little girl who just lost her mentor, but rather a veteran fighter. “I…”

(Why did she do that to Giro?)

...They weren’t going to be able to handle this peacefully, would they?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i think pandora would feel regret about what happened with giro. i mean, who wouldnt, right? giro's awesome

**Author's Note:**

> ...and then, the game goes faster than usual because pandora goes and bodies everyone
> 
> how does the fight with prometheus goes in the undersea lab? idk. maybe its pan/grey vs prom/ashe. idk


End file.
